1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for carrying fishing equipment, and particularly to a system for carrying a pocket-sized fly box at chest height and for holding a fishing rod.
2. Statement of the Problem
Fishermen on streams and rivers typically carry with them a wide variety or assortment of fishing flies, lures and accessories. Various boxes and trays of many types have been constructed that are small and portable enough to be worn by a fisherman during the time that he is fishing so that the fisherman has convenient access to the contents of the box. A simple form of such a fishing fly box is a small container that may be clipped or otherwise attached to a fisherman's belt. Another form of a fly box that provides storage space for a large number of items in a number of lure or fly compartments is a so-called chest fly box. A chest fly box is worn by the fisherman by means of a harness-like type of device which extends around the shoulders of the fisherman and maintains the box in approximate chest position on the front of the fisherman's body. Such a fly box is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,302, issued to Fye. Various examples of chest fly boxes are commercially available.
While fishing, it is common for a fisherman to change or replace frequently the lure, leader or other accessory on his fishing line. Manipulation and attachment of the fishing fly and tackle typically requires two hands, which means that the fisherman cannot hold his fishing rod at the same time. If the fisherman is on the shoreline, he may place the rod on the ground. This, however, is often undesirable because the ground does not provide stable support or because of the risk of fouling the fishing reel with dirt or detritus. If the fisherman is midstream, then he must tuck the rod under his armpit and attempt to complete the intended operation balancing the rod in this manner.
A useful feature of a conventional chest fly box is that the box lies flat against the chest of the fisherman when not open for exchanging contents. Typically, to open the box, two steps are required. First, some sort of mechanical latch is released that allows the box to rotate 90 degrees from the vertical to the horizontal position. Second, a top lid of the box is opened upwards to allow access to the inside of the box. It is common in the art to support the box in its horizontal position by means of a diagonal bracket on at least one side of the box. The diagonal bracket hinders access by the fisherman to the inside of the box. If no diagonal bracket is used, then the box is typically supported in the horizontal position by a hinge having a locking mechanism, subject to fatigue and failure.
Typically, a fisherman has a very large selection of lures, flies, and hooks to accommodate many varieties of fish and fishing conditions encountered throughout the year. For a given type of fish and a particular set of fishing conditions, a fisherman may be able to select a subset of flies and lures from his total collection to minimize the amount carried on his chest. This likely means, however, that the fishermen will need to take out and replace the contents of his chest fly box frequently, perhaps several times a day, to accommodate changing conditions and fish types. In view of the large variety of lures and other devices usually required to accommodate changing times of day, water conditions, weather and feeding patterns, some conventional fly box systems include two or three or even five separate trays, all attached to each other, and all located on the chest of the fisherman. The trays cannot be separated from or replaced by other trays. In other multi-tray systems, a tray may be switched out and replaced by another tray, but all of the trays used in this manner must be an integral part of the system; that is, a fisherman is restricted to using only those fly trays that have been specially designed and manufactured for integration with the system. A common problem with all of these multi-tray systems is that they add bulk and weight to the burden located on the chest of the fisherman. Also, the attachment mechanism on such modular trays typically includes bulky and sharp-edged components, and prevents efficient transport and storage of the trays when they are not attached to the chest fly box system. The idea of a multi-tray system with interchangeable trays is that the fisherman can replace one or several trays with trays containing fishing flies and lures most suitable for the particular conditions of the moment. A typical problem of conventional chest fly box systems is that the process of switching out a tray is complicated and cumbersome, especially when performed in the field. For example, a common attachment system includes a hinge comprising annular portions on opposing edges that must be lined up so that a rod can be passed through the aligned annular spaces, similar to the hinge mechanism on a house door. Attaching a tray to a chest fly box system in the field, where dirt, water, insects, wind, heat and cold commonly interfere, may be difficult to accomplish.
Construction material of a conventional chest fly box is typically a hard plastic or a metal, such as aluminum. When the fisherman is wearing light clothing on his torso, the hard rectangular edges of the box can be a source of discomfort and irritation. This is especially true for the heavier, multi-tray systems. On a hot day, when the chest-side of the box is pressed by the heavier weight against the skin of the fisherman, air circulation is hindered, resulting in uncomfortable perspiration.
It is common for fishermen to carry various liquid solutions as accessories; for example, a fly drying solution and a fly wetting solution. Various methods have been developed in the art for holding a solution. Some systems comprise a container holder in which the container is held upright; if the solution becomes very viscous in cool weather, it will not easily flow out the top of the container. In other systems, the containers are held and operated upside down; the liquid in such containers may flow uncontrollably, especially in warm weather. Container holders are typically provided in fishing vests, jackets, belts or large tackle boxes, and as a result, they are not conveniently accessible or manipulatable.
A chest fly box system typically includes a harness with straps connected to the box that pass over the fisherman's shoulders and loop around under his arms. A harness is typically constructed using leather, canvas or a synthetic material, such as nylon. Often, the harness is bulkier than the fly box itself, making it inconvenient to transport and to store the chest fly box system.
3. Solution to the Problem
A feature of the present invention is a chest fly box system for holding fishing equipment, comprising: a base piece for supporting a pocket-sized fly box, a harness that secures the base piece to the body of a fisherman, and a fastener that secures one of a plurality of pocket-sized fly boxes on the base piece. A system in accordance with the invention is designed to accommodate pocket-sized fly boxes of different types, that is, pocket-sized fly boxes made by different manufacturers and having different dimensions and geometries. As a result, a fisherman may conveniently replace one fly box with another fly box to be carried at his chest, and the fly boxes need not be of a particular manufacturer or be specially designed for use in the chest fly box system.
Fasteners in accordance with the invention are configured to secure a pocket-sized fly box to the base piece when the fly box is in a vertical closed position and when it is in a horizontal flat position. To “secure” the pocket-sized fly box to the base piece can be done directly, with a fastener attached to the fly box and the base piece, or indirectly, for example, by a fastener attached to the fly box and to the harness, to which the base piece is secured.
An important feature of a chest fly box system in accordance with the invention is a fishing rod holder, the fishing rod holder contiguous to the base piece and configured to hold a fishing rod in a horizontal orientation under a pocket-sized fly box supported on the base piece. It is also contemplated by the invention to provide an embodiment of a fishing rod holder independent of a chest fly box system. A fishing rod holder for temporarily holding a fishing rod in a horizontal orientation comprises: a U-shaped trough, a clamp or other suitable mechanism suitable for holding a fishing rod in a substantially horizontal orientation; and a fastener that secures the rod-holding mechanism to the body of a fisherman, generally by means of an article of clothing or other piece of fishing gear. A common variation of such a general embodiment is a portable system for holding, storing and transporting fishing equipment, comprising: a fly box, and a fishing rod holder, the fishing rod holder attached to the fly box and configured to hold a fishing rod in a horizontal orientation.
In a typical chest fly box system in accordance with the invention, the base piece comprises a vertical chest plate and a horizontal support plate, the vertical chest plate and the horizontal support plate forming a right angle. The support plate width and the support plate length are adequate to support a pocket-sized fly box in its vertical closed position. Preferably, a fishing rod holder is attached to the base piece. Typically, the fishing rod holder comprises rigid construction material, such as a plastic or aluminum. In a typical chest fly box system in accordance with the invention, the fishing rod holder comprises a U-shaped trough having a length and a width, and an upper opening between the sides of the troughs. The upper opening and the width have dimensions adequate to accommodate and to hold securely a handle of a fishing rod aligned in the length direction. In the preferred embodiment of a chest fly box system, the outer edge of the support plate, the upper edge of the trough that is proximate to the support plate, and the upper edge of the trough that is distal from the support plate are in a single horizontal plane when the outer surface of the vertical chest plate is in a vertical plane. This provides support to the fly box when it is in the horizontal flat position. In a preferred embodiment of a chest fly box system, the outer edge of the support plate and the proximate upper edge of the fishing rod holder are formed by a bend in a single piece of construction material. The bend typically comprises a right angle. Typically, a chest fly box system in accordance with the invention is characterized by fasteners that secure a pocket-sized fly box to the base piece when the pocket-sized fly box is in a vertical closed position and when it is in a horizontal flat position. Typically, the harness of a chest fly box system in accordance with the invention is attached to an inner edge of the support plate and an upper edge of the chest plate. A preferred embodiment of a chest fly box system has slots between the support plate and the proximate upper edge of the rod holder at each of the two ends in the length direction of the rod holder. The harness typically comprises cloth and has a chest portion for covering a chest surface of the chest plate. The chest portion has a top and bottom, a sleeve portion at the top that encloses the upper edge of the chest plate, a first finger at the bottom having a first flange, and a second finger at the bottom having a second flange, the first finger located in one of the slots and being secured by the first flange, and the second finger located in the other slot and being secured by the second flange. In a preferred embodiment of a chest fly box system, the sleeve portion, the first flange and the second flange comprise hook-and-loop fabric that attaches to corresponding pieces of hook-and-loop fabric on a pocket-sized fly box when the pocket-sized fly box is located in a vertical closed position on the support plate.
An important feature of a chest fly box system in accordance with the invention is that the first flange and the second flange are rotatable 90 degrees about the outer edge of the support plate when a pocket-sized fly box to which the flanges are attached is rotated downwards from a vertical closed position on the support plate to a horizontal flat position. An additional feature of a chest fly box system in accordance with the invention is that the chest portion of the harness includes a pocket, the pocket having an opening at the top.
A chest fly box system in accordance with the invention preferably further comprises a bottle holder for holding a bottle in a horizontal position, the bottle holder attached to the bottom surface of the support plate. Typically, the bottle holder comprises resilient tubing having an inside diameter suitable for holding common bottle sizes; for example, neoprene rubber tubing having an inside diameter of 2.5 cm.
A chest fly box system for holding fishing equipment in accordance with the invention typically comprises: a base piece for supporting a pocket-sized fly box; and a hook-and-loop fastener having a hook portion and a loop portion, one of the hook-and-loop portions connected to the base piece, and the other of the hook-and-loop portions connected to the pocket-sized fly box. In particular, the portion connected to the base piece forms a rotatable hinge.
A chest fly box system for holding fishing equipment in accordance with the invention preferably comprises soft material on the chest-side surface of the chest plate. Preferably, the soft material includes a pocket for storing fishing equipment.
A chest fly box system for holding fishing equipment in accordance with the invention may comprise a base piece for supporting a pocket-sized fly box, and a bottle holder for holding a bottle in a horizontal position, the bottle holder being attached to the base piece. Typically, the bottle holder comprises resilient tubing having an inside diameter suitable for holding common bottle sizes; for example, neoprene rubber tubing having an inside diameter of 2.5 cm.
A method of securing a pocket-sized fly box to a base piece in accordance with the invention comprises: attaching one of a hook portion and a loop portion to the pocket-sized fly box; and attaching the other one of the hook portion and the loop portion to the base piece. In a preferred embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener is attached in such a manner that it functions as a rotatable hinge.
Numerous other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.